EHCP Application Evidence: What Should I Include?

What is evidence?

The word evidence can make this sound much more complicated than it is.

Evidence is simply information that helps explain what is happening for your child.

It might be:

• a school report
• an email from a teacher
• an SEN support plan
• an attendance record
• a report from a professional
• notes from a meeting
• information about support school has already tried
• your own notes about what you see at home
• your child's own views

You may already have more evidence than you think.

1. Start with your child's needs

First, think about what your child finds difficult.

This doesn't only mean schoolwork.

For example, your child might find it difficult to:

• understand or remember instructions
• read, write or work with numbers
• communicate with other people
• make or keep friendships
• concentrate
• cope with noise, crowds or busy classrooms
• manage their emotions
• move around or take part in physical activities
• attend school
• cope with changes
• work independently

You don't need to know the official name for every difficulty.

Write down what you see happening.

For example:

“My child often needs instructions repeated several times and broken down into smaller steps.”

That tells someone much more than simply saying:

“My child struggles at school.”

2. Explain how these difficulties affect your child

This part is really useful.

Try to explain what happens because of your child's difficulties.

For example:

Or:

You're helping the person reading your information understand what life and education are actually like for your child.

3. Write down the support that has already been tried

Think about what school or another setting has already done to help.

This might include:

• extra help from an adult
• small-group work
• extra time
• sensory or movement breaks
• a quieter place to work
• a different way of giving instructions
• visual timetables
• pastoral support
• changes to the school day
• a reduced timetable
• speech and language support
• help with emotions or behaviour

If you can, write down:

Something helping your child doesn't mean you shouldn't include it.

Sometimes that is important evidence.

For example, your child might be managing at school because they are receiving a lot of extra support.

That is useful information too.

4. Look at the information you already have from school

You don't have to create everything from scratch.

Have a look at what you already have.

This could include:

• school reports
• SEN support plans
• emails
• meeting notes
• attendance information
• assessment results
• records of extra support
• examples of your child's work
• letters from school

Don't worry about sending every piece of paper you've ever received.

Choose the things that best help explain your child's needs, what has been tried and what is still difficult.

5. What if I don't have professional reports?

This is something lots of parents worry about.

You might think you need a report from an educational psychologist, occupational therapist or another professional before you can ask for an EHC needs assessment.

You don't have to wait for these reports before you ask.

If you already have reports, you can include them.

For example, you might have information from:

• an educational psychologist
• a speech and language therapist
• an occupational therapist
• CAMHS
• a paediatrician
• your GP
• a specialist teacher
• another professional who knows your child

If you don't have these reports, that does not automatically stop you asking for an assessment.

If the local authority agrees to carry out an EHC needs assessment, part of that process is gathering information about your child's needs.

6. Your information matters too

You know your child.

You may see things at home that aren't obvious at school.

For example:

• struggling to sleep before school
• crying before leaving home
• stomach aches or headaches
• being completely exhausted after school
• becoming very upset after holding things together all day
• needing a long time to recover from school
• struggling with homework
• becoming increasingly worried about attending
• finding certain days or lessons particularly difficult

Write down what you actually see and hear.

For example, instead of writing:

“School makes my child anxious.”

you could write:

“On Sunday evening, my child repeatedly asked if they had to go to school the next day. They struggled to sleep and complained of a stomach ache on Monday morning.”

You don't have to diagnose what is happening.

You are simply recording what you see.

7. Include your child's views

Your child's voice matters too.

What do they say about school and learning?

You could think about:

• what they find difficult
• what they enjoy
• when they feel safe
• when they feel worried or overwhelmed
• what helps them learn
• what they wish adults understood
• what they would like to change
• what they hope for in the future

Some children may find it difficult to explain this in words.

That's okay.

They might communicate through pictures, drawing, choosing from options, symbols or conversations with someone they trust.

There isn't one right way to do this.

8. What about a diagnosis?

A diagnosis can be useful information.

But you do not need to simply collect a list of labels.

What matters is understanding your individual child and what support they need.

Two children with the same diagnosis can have very different needs.

So instead of only writing:

“My child is autistic.”

you could also explain:

“My child finds unexpected changes very difficult. If their normal timetable changes without warning, they can become very distressed and may not be able to stay in the classroom.”

That helps explain what support may be needed.

9. What about attendance?

If your child is struggling to attend school, attendance records may be useful.

Our FREE EBSA & Attendance Tracker can help you record attendance, worries and possible triggers. No signup or payment is needed.

But don't only record whether your child went to school.

Think about the whole picture.

For example:

A child can attend school every day and still be finding school incredibly difficult.

The attendance percentage doesn't always tell the whole story.

10. Keep important emails and messages

For a simple record of conversations and agreed actions, you can optionally use the Communication Log. Keep original emails and reports too; buying a toolkit is not required to gather evidence.

You don't need to save every message.

Keep the important ones.

They can help you show what has happened over time.

For example:

Suddenly, you have a simple timeline showing what has happened.

This can be much easier to understand than a folder containing hundreds of emails.

Do I need to wait before asking for an assessment?

No set amount of time has to pass before a parent can ask their local authority for an EHC needs assessment.

You may hear things like:

“You need to try SEN Support for three terms first.”

or:

“You need an educational psychologist's report first.”

or:

“Your child isn't far enough behind.”

These are not rules that parents must meet before they can ask for an EHC needs assessment.

The local authority has to consider whether your child has or may have special educational needs and whether they may need the support of an EHC plan.

So don't feel that you have to wait until you have a perfect folder of evidence.

You can start with what you have.

A simple EHCP evidence checklist

If you're not sure where to begin, start here.

You don't need something in every section before asking for an assessment.

Start with what you have.

How do I organise all this?

Don't worry about creating a huge file.

Start with a simple list.

For each useful document, write down:

Keep the original documents somewhere safe.

This gives you a simple overview without having to search through every email and report each time you need something.

One last thing

If you're staring at a pile of paperwork and wondering where to begin, come back to these four questions:

That's the story your evidence is helping you tell.

It doesn't have to be perfect.

And you don't have to collect everything before you start.